Broncos' Peyton Manning to get more days off this year

by Shawn Krest | CBSSports.com

(6/1/15) Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning sat out practice on Monday, and he can expect it to happen more often than in the past.

New coach Gary Kubiak wants to manage Manning's practice snaps this year. The reasons are two-fold: It will help keep the 39-year-old Manning fresh, and it will also give the coaching staff a good look at backup Brock Osweiler.

Kubiak said he was aware that Manning was "not a big fan" of sitting out practice, per the AP. "I just think it's important. I talked to him about it. You want guys that want to practice. They all want to practice. But you try to convince them, 'Hey, I want you there for the long haul and as healthy as you can be and as strong as you can be, and I also want to find out about these guys."

Franklin spent the past four years with the Broncos and has played with Manning the past three seasons. He joined the Chargers this offseason as a free agent.

“[O]ne thing I noticed immediately when I got here is that Philip Rivers is definitely more approachable than Peyton,” Franklin said. “I don’t know if it was because I was a lot younger being that I met Peyton in my second season and now meeting Phillip going into my fifth season but definitely I will say Phillip is more approachable than Peyton.”

Broncos QB Peyton Manning says 2015 will not be farewell tour

by Sean d'Oliveira | CBSSports.com

(4/28/15) Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning indicated Tuesday that he does not plan to make the 2015 season a farewell tour, reports The Denver Post.

"I wouldn't call it that," he said.

Manning, 39, is preparing to enter his 18th season and said he feels like a 'young 39.' After attending the first day of voluntary workouts Tuesday, Manning added that he feels good physically.

If you just look at Peyton Manning's stats from 2014, you would think he had another stellar season with 4,727 yards, 39 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He was the No. 3 Fantasy quarterback in standard leagues, and he still had dominant stats despite being 38 years old. Well, Manning's numbers might look good, but in this case the numbers are deceiving. He closed last season on a down note with three touchdowns and six interceptions in his final four games, with just one game over 300 passing yards. A quad injury factored into Manning's performance, but many wondered if age and his history of neck problems were catching up to him. Manning will look to prove the skeptics wrong this season, but he has a few factors to overcome. He'll be 39 and trying to show he's not injury prone. New coach Gary Kubiak brings a run-first system, and the two will have to mesh. And tight end Julius Thomas and receiver Wes Welker are gone, and those two accounted for 92 catches, 953 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. Now, Manning said he's healthy, and Kubiak said he wants Manning to still feel comfortable without forcing his system on the future Hall of Fame quarterback. The Broncos also plan to replace Thomas and Welker with a combination of Owen Daniels, Virgil Green and Cody Latimer. Manning shouldn't be considered the No. 1 quarterback this season, but he's still worth drafting as a top-three option. He will likely come off the board in Round 3 or 4, and we're expecting him to still play at a high level this season.
(Updated 4/21/15)